Featured Photo: Dorin (@buck_rnr) Nguyen Works
Junk In The Trunk – These Six 4Runner Rear Bumper Setups Will Inspire Your Build
This Weeks Topic: Rear Bumper Setups
Well, it is time to put another week behind us as we all look forward to a long-awaited weekend. Speaking of behinds, let’s look at some 4Runner rear ends for this Feature Friday in the form of aftermarket rear bumpers! Do you see what I did there? Anyway… Adding a rear bumper to your 5th gen 4Runner isn’t just for armor/trail protection, it adds a great bit of modularity as well as you will see in our featured rigs below.
Just like when choosing an aftermarket front bumper, there are several things to consider when you are trying to select the proper rear bumper for your rig. One of the first things to consider is, what do you need this rear bumper for? Just for protection? Protection and added storage? Below you will find some low pro setups, some with dual swing outs, and some just made for protection with little modularity. The next thing to consider is the weight of the rear bumper that you will be adding to your 4Runner, these things can be heavy! Aluminum IMO is the way to go with any bumper you add to your rig, but that can cost a pretty penny, so definitely shop around for a bumper that suits your budget. Lastly to me, is customization. How customizable/ functional is the rear bumper? Yes, protection is nice, but if you can get recovery points, light cut-outs, integrated tow hitch, and other goodies too along with protection, then that is a win-win in my book.
These featured rigs are in no particular order, but definitely show all of them some love by following their builds over on Instagram. We do have 3 Coastal Off-Road setups BUT all three are different so it is awesome that Coastal offers a variety of bumpers for the consumer. Thank you all for reading!
Enjoy and have a great weekend!
If you want to be featured on Feature Friday next week, submit your build through Trail4R.com/feature. We will be featuring SUSPENSION COMPONENTS next week. If this is you, and you enjoy your setup, send in your rig some details about your build because we want to see it and know ALL the details!
Top Brands Featured
- CBI Off-Road: Check Price
- C4 Fabrication: Check Price
- Coastal Off-Road: Check Price
- Nyguen Works: Check Price
5th Gen 4Runner Rear Bumper Setups
1. Jared Johnson (@txhillrider) CBI
Rear Bumper Info:
- Model: CBI Off-Road Fab dual-swing steel rear bumper
- Weight: 200lbs Dry/ 400lbs Loaded
- Modularity: High
- Price: $3,100
Mods/Accessories Attached:
- 2ea. Baja Designs squadron sports
- 1ea. Baja Designs S2 sports camp light
- Flip-down camp table
- Full-size spare 285-70-17
- 2ea. 5 gal. scepter Military Fuel Cans
- HiLift all-cast jack
- 2ea. Maxtrax MKII
- Trasharoo
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR SETUP?
This CBI rear bumper has been my favorite modification so far. Not only does it increase my departure angle, but the steel construction can also take a beating from anything I throw at it. Also, it allows me to carry accessories that I previously stored on the roof rack (i.e. fuel, hi-lift jack, maxtrax) on the rear bumper; making a roof for my RTT, cargo box, and usually a bundle of firewood.
I think the most well thought out feature of this bumper is the swing-arm locking pins. With the disconnection of a single latch, both arms swing away and lock into the open position with hardly any effort.
My favorite aesthetic feature of the CBI bumper is the rub rails on either side fender. This is a feature that I have yet to see on any other bumper for the 4runner and is great to have for that extra little bit of protection from trees and rocks.
One thing I dislike about this bumper is that there is no barrier underneath to prevent it from collecting dirt, mud, and rocks along the trail. After a trip, I feel like I wash out another 10-20lbs of mud and rocks from the inside of the bumper.
Other than that, this bumper has performed better than I expected and I would recommend it to anyone shopping for an aftermarket rear bumper for their 4Runner.
2. Connor Nicosia (@trail_tx4r) Coastal Off-Road
Rear Bumper Info:
- Model: Coastal Off-Road Rear Bumper Low Profile
- Weight: 130lbs Dry / 280lbs Loaded
- Modularity: High
- Price: From $648
Mods/Accessories Attached:
- Dual Swing Out
- Single Driver Side Rear Chase
- C4 Fabrication Rear Camera Relocation Kit
- 4X Innovations Hinge Assembly
- Line-X Ultra Coating
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR SETUP?
The Coastal Off-Road rear bumper is a great platform if you like the DIY/Customizable mods. The lead times are practically nonexistent (9-11 Days) shipped to your door vs 3+ month wait for fully fabricated bumpers. The fabrication process is straightforward, just requires your time, welding knowledge, and lots of grinding. The aesthetics of the bumper fit the lines of the 4Runner very well and makes for a solid addition to the truck. For my build, a few customizations I added are as follows: Driver-Side fold-down camping table, 4X Innovations Lockable Hinges, Passenger-Side Modification to fit Gobi Ladder, Coastal Off-road Rotopax/MaxTrax Attachment.
3. Nico Alvarez (@trail.hntr) TJM 4×4
Rear Bumper Info:
- Model: Dual Swing Rear Bumper
- Weight: 200lbs Dry / 300lbs Loaded
- Modularity: High
- Price: N/A
Mods/Accessories Attached:
- Gas strut assisted arms
- Carries up to a 35” tire
- Jerry can mount
- Hi-lift mount
- Bottle opener
- Brake/ turn lights in the arms
- Mounts for 3” universal pods
- 2 drop-down tables
- Retains OEM hitch
- Added rear recovery point
- Optional covers to cover the swing armholes if not in use.
- License plate/backup camera relocation kit
- Olive green Trasharoo
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR SETUP?
Probably my most favorite thing about this bumper is that there are only about 2-3 people that actually sport this bumper, and I got it brand new for dirt cheap. The built-in bottle opener is a plus too especially when you’re with the boys and wanting to crack a cold one when you’re out camping!
4. Dorin (@buck_rnr) Nguyen Works
Rear Bumper Info:
- Model: Dual Swingout Steel Plated
- Weight: 170lbs
- Modularity: High/ Tons of Options
- Price: From $2,150
Mods/Accessories Attached:
- Cross-member / hitch delete
- Dual Swing outs (passenger side spare)
- Quarter panel hoops
- Tables
- Bottle opener (because reasons)
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR SETUP?
I’m absolutely loving this bumper. I was sold as soon as Nguyen Works started dropping photos during development. I wanted something slim, sleek, and clean with the highest clearance possible and I’m convinced Nguyen Works fully achieved that. Tables have helped dial in the camp/cook setup as well and have held up to several camp cooks so far. 10/10 in my humble opinion. The Nguyen brothers are also super awesome, can’t speak highly enough of them.
5. Daniel Chamlern (@Omgsosteezy) Coastal Off-Road
Rear Bumper Info:
- Model: Unwelded DIY Kit (Dual Swing Out)
- Weight: 210lbs Dry / 370lbs Loaded
- Modularity: High/ Tons of Options
- Price: From $1,650
Mods/Accessories Attached:
- Hi-Lift Jack
- Vicoffroad USA traction boards
- Trasharoo
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR SETUP?
What I like most about this Company/Bumper is the fast lead time. Once purchased, my DIY kit arrived at my front door in roughly 2 1/2 weeks. I also love how the swingouts are now using Heim Joints which make It easy to adjust to your liking/needs.
My good friend Bennie over at SkunkyBGarage and a few good friends (Rico, Kevin, Chan, & Ricky) helped me weld this bumper together and install it which saved me A LOT of money. If you can weld or know someone that welds, I recommend this bumper… If you will need to pay a shop to weld this bumper together, I don’t recommend this bumper. I recommend just going with a company that comes welded already. When purchasing the bumper for $1600+ and paying $1000+ for welding, you’re in the competitor’s range of complete bumpers for $2,600-ish.
Overall, I love this bumper. This suits my needs. I am re-geared on Nitro 4.88’s and I do feel the weight when my car is fully loaded but I don’t mind. It’s all smiles per gallon for me!
6. Mo Esquivel (@4runningtheozarks) Coastal Off-Road
Rear Bumper Info:
- Model: Steel Dual Swingout
- Weight: 207lbs Dry / 391lbs Loaded
- Modularity: High
- Price: From $1,564
Mods/Accessories Attached:
- Two Jerry cans
- Mount on the side holds our jack
- Ram mounts B-size ball to hold our weboost
- Two S2 flush mount lights
WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR SETUP?
I like that they have lots of options, steel/aluminum, dual/single/no swing-out options to choose from when you are building your bumper. They have a cheaper option of you can weld to help save some money if you like. I feel like they did a great job with the lines and look of this bumper. Their lead times were also relatively short, so that’s a plus too.
Final Thoughts
The more Feature Friday posts I do, the harder it is in my mind to not spend money on my mall crawler. These bumpers were KILLER inspiration for those looking to add some rear protection to their overland builds. One of my favorite things about these Feature Fridays is that we are able to get first-hand info on how actual users enjoy these products to see if they would be beneficial for us before dropping some serious coin on these mods. Thank you all for coming back and reading, we truly appreciate it.
If you would like to be considered for next week’s Feature Friday, we will be showcasing some Suspension Setups on the 5th Gen 4Runners. We want to get inspired by a variety of different builds, submit your build for Feature Friday and you might get featured. If you would like to submit your build for next week, include your setup details and an awesome photo that shows it off. Have a great weekend guys!!
i wonder if any of the dual swingout option will be able to work with a baja rack ladder on the driver side?
I have the CBI dual swing out rear bumper with a Gobi Ladder. At 70mph it shakes like crazy on corrugated concrete highways here in Colorado. I talked to CBI about it and it is a known problem because of the extra space to accommodate the ladder. I WOULD NOT buy this bumper with a GOBI ladder. I am actually looking at Shrockworks rear bumper because there is a bracket they built that supports the Spare tire and keeps the wobble from happening.
I know for a fact the C4 dual swing does. Also works with the Gobi ladder and obviously, the C4 Summit Hatch ladder.
good to know! i will be keeping my baja rack ladder then. not getting a RTT any time soon so i still gotta mount my shiftpod on the rack
Great review and write up but I think it could have used a few other bumpers when half are coastal off road it’s a bit lop sided and all 3 looked very similar. I am sure that part of this is also due to lack of reader response on it though. Still great write up
Thanks, Jeremy! I appreciate it! We have sticker incentives now to try and get more people to write in. “FF” is still in its growing pains phase, so I’m sure we will have WAY more submissions in the future.
I knew bumpers were heavy but ~400lbs hanging over the rear!!! While they look rad that extra weight is hard to swallow. Especially just to carry a spare and a hi-jack.
For sure I’d go aluminum if possible.